Automobile-lock



E. E. MELLENTHIN. AUTOMOBILE LOCK.

APPLICATION FILED mane. r920. I Patented Jan. 18, 1921.

. tional view UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFFICE.

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Application filed m 18,

To all'whom z'tmay concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN E. MELLEN- THIN, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Waukesha, in the county of Waukesha an State of Wisconsin, have invented certain that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

y invention relates to newand useful improvements in means for securing automobiles and'similar motor vehicles against theft or unauthorized use.

f the primary objects of my invention is to provide a locking means which can be easily and quickly manipulated by the driver to throw the same into or out of use.

.Another important object of the invention is to provide an arrangement of this character which will effectively secure the main drive shaft against rotation.

Another such object is to lock the diflerential gears and consequently the vehicle drivingwheels against movement.

With these general objects in view the invention consists in the novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of. parts which will be hereinafter more particularly described and claimed and shown in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 represents a longitudinal secthrough the drive means of a motor vehicle showing the application of my invention thereto, said section being taken substantially on the plane of the line 1-1 h of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a detail transverse section taken approximately on the plane of the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Referring more particularly to the illustrated embodiment of the invention, it will i be noticed that the reference character 1 inteeth which mesh with the teeth of the Specification of Letters Patent.

tion 8 of the housing 9 and 10 of th Patented Jan. 18, 1921. 1920. Serial- No. 382,880.

drive gear 3. As is customary the power of the vehicle power plant is transmitted through the drive shaft 1 and the differential D to the drive wheels. Therefore by locking the drive and driven gears, the vehicle will be safely secured against unau-' thorized use.

In carryin out the objects tion, the diflfirential housing with a bell-crank 5, one depends between 2 is provided arm 6 of which 2. The arm 6 is -pro vided with atooth 9 or engagement between the teeth of the 'ear 3, whereas the other arm 7 has a plurality of teeth 10 adapted to be disposed between the teeth of one of the main driven gears 4.

.Extending forwardly of the differential housing 2 and having one end slidable through the front wall thereof, is an actuating rod 11. The differential housing end of this red 11 is pivoted to thei arm 6 of the bell-crank as indicated at 12, while the op posite end of the rod projects into an eccentric casing 13. As shown in Fig. 1 the intermediate portion of the rod is housed within a sleeve 14, the same being connected at its opposite ends to the differential housing 2 and eccentric casin 13. The latter is located in any convenient part of the vehicle, but referably adjacent to the drivers seat so, t at the driver may have ready access thereto at any time for controlling the bellcrank actuating means disposed therein.

his actuatin means-consists of an eccentric 15 carried y shaft 16 and having an operating handle 17, and of an expansile spring 18. In practice the spring 18 will be' located within the sleeve 14 and have oneend engaged with a stationary collar 19 and its op osite end in contact with a rod carried co lar 20. The casing 13 is pro- .vided with a cover or door 21 which is locked, preferably by means of a combination lock 22. Normal] the parts are positioned as shown in ig. 1 in the drawing, and under such conditions the vehicle can be propelledm a usual manner. That is to say the teeth e arms 6 and 7 respectivel are disengaged with the gear teeth, the be] crank being secured in its inoperative position by the engagementof the high side of of the inventhe eccentric 15 with the end of the actuated rod 11. WVhen, however, the vehicle driver leaves his machine and desires to secure it against unauthorized use, he moves the eccentric handle 17 from engagement with the stop 23 into contact with the stop 24. This shifts the eccentric and permitsthe tension of the spring 18 to force the rod 11 inwardly of the casing 13 and outwardly of the differential housing 2. Consequently the bellcrank 5 rocks and the teeth 9 and 10 are respectively engaged with the teeth of the gear 3 and one of the gears 4, thus locking said gears against rotation.

Attention is directed to the fact that the bell-crank lever is particularly designed to operate in conjunction with a differential beveled gear and the beveled pinion of the drive shaft. The arm 7 of the bell-crank is provided with a pluralit of teeth for locking engagement with t 1e difi'erential beveled gear and the end strain upon this arm develops side thrust against the pivot stud of the bell crank.

The other arm 6 of the bell-crank lever is arranged to swing in axial alinement with the drive shaft 1, said arm being provided with a single tooth only for rocking or sliding engagement with the beveled pinion 3, and said arm 6 can thus readily engage the teeth of the beveled pinion without liability of stripping, due to the sliding engagement. Strain upon the arm 6 of the bell-crank is sidewise, and hence, develops end thrust upon the bell-crank stud. Hence, it will be seen that the strain upon the bell-crank stud is in two directions, that is, the arm 7 develops side thrust thereupon and the arm 6 distribute the load upon end thrust so as to the stud bearing in two directions, whereby mounted thereon there is less liability of the parts to wear or break under certain load shock. I

The hereinbefore referred to drawing merely illustrates one embodiment of the invention, and the foregoing description is an explanation of such embodiment, but is to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to this particular showing, and various changes may be made in the different parts and in the general association thereof without departing from the principles of the invention as outlined in the following claim.

I claim:

In a mechanically driven vehicle having a rear axle, a differential gear mechanism embodyin a beveled gear wheel, a housing for the di erential, a drive shaft extending into the housing, and a toothed gear pinion in meshed engagement with the beveled gear wheel of the difierential; the combination of a locking mechanism comprising a bell-crank lever pivotally mounted within the housing, having one arm provided with a series of teeth tangentially engageable with the teeth of the differential beveled gear, while the other arm of the bellcrank lever is arranged to swingin axial alinement with the beveled pinion and having a single tooth for sliding engagement with the beveled pinion teeth, and incased means at a distance from the mechanism for actuating the bell-crank lever.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin.

EDWIN E. MELLENTHIN.

differential 

